Episode Number
123
Episode Show Notes / Description
Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis).
The rodent with a screeching alarm heard in forests and city parks alike.
Voice of the Wild is a podcast about wildlife and the wild sounds they make.
The following Cornell Lab | Macaulay Library recordings were used in this episode:
- Eastern gray squirrel "screech" with chucks (and Chipmunk in background) by Brad Walker (ML305921)
- Eastern gray squirrel gnawing by Wil Hershberger (ML107231)
- Eastern gray squirrel second "screech" by Brad Walker (ML239251)
Sources and more:
Transcript
This is Brodie with Illinois Extension and I’m here with a new “voice of the wild”
The urban habits of this adaptable mammal mean that they are in regular contact with most of the folks that live east of the Mississippi. Their screeching alarm calls are given when predators like hawks are in the area, though especially in the fall you might be more likely to hear their munching and gnawing on walnuts and other shelled foods. This is the eastern gray squirrel.
The commonness of this squirrel in cities is due at least in part because they’ve become adept at foraging for human foods. While there’s little to be done about a squirrel raiding a city trash can, I would warn against hand feeding squirrels. While it may seem harmless…At best this teaches them that humans have food and are always safe to approach which is not true, and in worse cases it can lead to the squirrel being aggressive in a way that usually ends in animal control getting involved. Keep wildlife wild, that keeps them and us safe. Here’s the eastern gray squirrel again.
Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW
The urban habits of this adaptable mammal mean that they are in regular contact with most of the folks that live east of the Mississippi. Their screeching alarm calls are given when predators like hawks are in the area, though especially in the fall you might be more likely to hear their munching and gnawing on walnuts and other shelled foods. This is the eastern gray squirrel.
The commonness of this squirrel in cities is due at least in part because they’ve become adept at foraging for human foods. While there’s little to be done about a squirrel raiding a city trash can, I would warn against hand feeding squirrels. While it may seem harmless…At best this teaches them that humans have food and are always safe to approach which is not true, and in worse cases it can lead to the squirrel being aggressive in a way that usually ends in animal control getting involved. Keep wildlife wild, that keeps them and us safe. Here’s the eastern gray squirrel again.
Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW